19-year-old student, Yonsong Zhao, came to the United States from China on a student visa. As of January, 2018, he had been in the country for seven months.

As with many people, especially young men, he likes guns. In China, it is nearly impossible to access legal guns. Zhao set about learning what was necessary for him to acquire and legally fire guns in the United States.

Given the complexity involved, I am amazed that Zhao appears to have found the various rules, and followed them rigorously. It is well that he did. The authorities were watching him very closely. They may have done so because of the notorious mass murder at Virginia Tech in 2007.

The warrant claims that on January 22, Zhao purchased a 30 rd magazine. It was legal for him to purchase the magazine. At the time, he did not own a rifle. Much of the media case against Zhao seem to come from Internet searches he made. He looked up how much 5,000 rounds of ammo would cost. He looked up the availability of body armor. He looked up how much modifications to the bumpers of his car would cost.

He legally purchased a rifle on January 25. He says it came with 30 round magazines. He says he traded the 30 round magazines for a sling, because he knew that he could not use 30 round magazines in the rifle because of a weird quirk in Virgina law. The man who processed the sale backs up Zhao's account.

“There is a specific exception in US firearms law that permits a non-immigrant alien to purchase and possess provided they have a hunting license issued to them from the State they are a resident of and as long as all other Federal and State laws are followed on firearms ownership.”

"...He looked up how much modifications to the bumpers of his car would cost..."

Huh. What does this mean? Did they think he was going to run people over with his car? I don't understand how that plays into this.

This is odd. It sounds like he is being unfairly treated because he is Asian and goes to the same school where a notorious mass shooting took place, but I need more info.

If he is in this country as a non-citizen, even if legal, I don't see a problem with his movements and communications being monitored UNLESS they can then monitor the people he spoke to (who may be citizens) and I would have a serious issue with that.

4
posted on 05/10/2018 4:57:57 AM PDT
by rlmorel
(Leftists: They believe in the "Invisible Hand" only when it is guided by government.)

Internet searches prove nothing. A clear case of ‘law enforcement’ finding an easy target, and harassing him to get their arrest numbers up, and fool the people into thinking that they are stopping crime.

6
posted on 05/10/2018 5:07:52 AM PDT
by I want the USA back
(Cynicism may just keep you from going insane in a world that has chosen its own demise.)

My impression was much the same, but (hat tip to sickoflibs) it seems that they can purchase firearms if the state laws allow a hunting license.

If that’s the law, that is one thing, but being in this country under a legal visa as a non-citizen still probably means you can be surveilled legally by the government in ways that citizens cannot. Not saying that is bad, either.

8
posted on 05/10/2018 5:16:09 AM PDT
by rlmorel
(Leftists: They believe in the "Invisible Hand" only when it is guided by government.)

I’m with you. Freepers get all misty eyed anytime anybody gets in trouble with firearms (that’s because we’ve been infested of late with libertarians), but the Constitution doesn’t apply to non-citizens.

9
posted on 05/10/2018 5:19:27 AM PDT
by LouAvul
(The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.)

The reference ammoland thread says : “A police officer, who traveled to the firing range at the request of the Virginia Tech Police Department, said he saw Zhao with a AR-15 rifle and a 30-round magazine. The combination of a magazine with more than 20 rounds and an AR-15 rifle is not permitted for noncitizens, and is a felony charge that could lead to up to five years in prison.”

and that is the entirety of the evidence, they never found the 30-round mag

The combination of a magazine with more than 20 rounds and an AR-15 rifle is not permitted for noncitizens, and is a felony charge that could lead to up to five years in prison.

How long do you think it will be before this kind of law is applied to citizens as well? It already has been in some states like California and Massachusetts.

I'll bet you'll be "misty eyed" if we all lose the right to have any magazine size we want, and people end up in the situation that student is in.

Why on earth are the police upset about a kid at a shooting range when there are plenty of criminals running loose in Virginia? Why put him in jail for 5 years when MS-13 guys get probation, or don't get charged at all?

“- - - - but being in this country under a legal visa as a non-citizen still probably means you can be surveilled legally by the government in ways that citizens cannot.”

That’s where I have a problem. I agree with the law (if that is the law), unfortunately if this fellow happened to be Mexican or African here illegally no one would be watching him at all. He could be a thief, rapist or be a hate filled anti-American protester on welfare and no one would care. He’s a little smarter than the protected classes and knows enough to research the law. Lefties just hate this. Now being a gun toting Asian, lessons need to be taught, they are probably assembling the firing squad right now.

Bidding on the cash award to the student will start at $10,000,000 plus all legal fees and taxes. Why wasn’t his rifle inspected right after he stopped shooting? It’s very easy to tell the difference between a 30 round mag and a 20 round one... unless you are an uneducated police officer that is or a moron prosecutor.

17
posted on 05/10/2018 5:37:14 AM PDT
by Freeport
(The proper application of high explosives will remove all obstacles.)

That was the violation? On the word of the officer, but they never found the magazine? Wouldn't one think the officer could at least have taken a picture if it wasn't in his power to confiscate?

Or maybe the Virginia Tech Police Department is all rent-a-cops, although I recall reading they are a fully empowered PD.

The idiotic law about magazine capacity and rifle type is stupid enough (that you can own them but not buy them in Virginia maybe?) but to add in an additional wrinkle that if you bought it out of state you could own it, but if you are a non-citizen, you can't use it unless you get some other kind of non-AR15 weapon?????

Good God. It gets stupider and stupider.

See, these are the main reasons as a citizen I am (and have been for years) about the volume of legislation and statutes on the books in the Federal Register. (although, as these two graphs show from the uber-liberal George Washington University) President Trump is breaking new ground in REDUCING legislative overhead...just as he promised as a candidate to do:

I read something that stated that at any time, every single citizen (granted, this man is NOT a citizen) is in violation of at least 3-10 laws on the books, which means that, if the government wanted to, it could prosecute anyone at any time. (This appears to be what the Mueller Investigation is banking on...they have "brought the person" (Trump) and the Mueller Team is "finding the crime".

Beria would be proud.

20
posted on 05/10/2018 5:40:16 AM PDT
by rlmorel
(Leftists: They believe in the "Invisible Hand" only when it is guided by government.)

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